Militia leader gives evidence of
Indonesian military's role in killings

Excerpts from report by Indonesian
newspaper 'Media Indonesia' web site on 11th February

The commission investigating human rights
violations in East Timor has finally completed the report of its findings.
The evidence was so convincing that accusations of physical violence and
threats to kill were included. After questioning dozens of witnesses who
were civilian officials in East Timor, and militia, police and TNI
[Indonesian National Military Forces] personnel of various ranks, the
commission was convinced that serious human rights violations occurred in
East Timor.

The testimony of one witness (suspect) to
the commission supports the view that they were aided and assisted with
training, weapons and money by the Indonesian military. The following is
the confession of a man suspected of involvement in human rights abuses as
given to the commission.

[Q] What important positions have you
held?

[A] In 1974-1976 I was the commander of a
216-strong group fighting for integration with Indonesia ... But up until
East Timor separated from Indonesia, I was in the BRTT [East Timor
People's Front] Security Council...

[Q] At that stage were militia groups
already being formed?

[A] It's difficult for me to answer that
question. I experienced 24 years of continuous war. Maybe ABRI [Indonesian
Armed Forces] was tired of fighting Falintil or placed too much trust in
us to do it. Basically they gave us weapons every year.

[Q] Did you receive weapons at the end of
1998 or the beginning of 1999?

[A] We received weapons directly from SGI
[joint intelligence unit]. Each commander took delivery of his own quota
of weapons, and some took them home to their own districts.

[Q] What about 1999? [A] In the last few
months, I also received weapons, but I was ordered to store them at the
Military District Command. On 25th March, the SGI commander himself and
Bambang plus six of their men delivered the weapons to my house in Ermera.

[Q] How many weapons?

[A] 300. But I couldn't take delivery of
them all because there wasn't enough storage space. I told them to store
them at the Military District commander's house. At the same time I was
summoned by the East Timor governor.

[Q] What kind of weapons?

[A] Many different kinds. At that time
they gave us SKs, AR-16, AK-47. Plus rifles. I think the rifles were made
in Bandung. But the AK and SKs, they were Russian.

[Q] How were they distributed? [A] The
militia didn't need to write reports; we just used some from the Military
District Command [MDC] because the SGI and Tribuana members who were from
Kopassus [Army Special Forces] were based at the MDC. They wore plain
clothes. If we needed money, we just asked.

[Q] Was the militia free? [A] The militia
was free - we could burn, arrest, kill - it was up to us...

[Q] Were the weapons distributed in
Ermera? [A] I had no militia forces in Ermera. But after I went to Jakarta
on the 6th, on the 10th [as received] a regional assembly (DPRD) level II
member Antonio Lima was murdered. Several days later two young children
were also murdered. The people began to panic.

[Q] Is it clear this was carried out by
the militia? [A] It was militia. But it was militia from the Military
District Command, not those from the hills or the villages.

[Q] Were there military personnel who
became militia? [A] Many. Those who were known as militia were in front
while the ones behind were elite troops in Aitarak uniforms.

[Q] Did you know of any plans to carry
out massacres in East Timor after February such as the Liquica case? [A]
It would be better if you asked Joao Tavares that question but I knew
myself that this had been planned for us to carry out. The aim was to
threaten and place pressure on those who wanted independence. Maybe this
way we could have changed them but what happened instead was resentment
among the people.

[Q] Therefore who carried out these
murders? [A] The murders in February 1999 were carried out by militia
groups Besi Merah Putih [Red and White Iron] and Halilintar [Thunder] from
Suai, Maliana and Liquica. Actually this problem and the issue of the
3,250 refugees had already been conveyed to those at the Muspida [Regional
Leaders Conference] but they said, "It is the Security Disturbance
Movement (GPK) they are against, whether they want to die or do something
else, it's up to them," he said...

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